Magic's Apprentice
by MistressofTime
Summary: Harry Potter is about to enter his fifth year at Hogwarts. But before that, he will meet the beginning of his destiny. But how will this effect those around him? And more importantly, how will Ginny Weasley effect him?
1. Prologue

Magic's Apprentice

Prologue

Harry Potter trudged up to the smallest room of number four Privet Drive. He had just finished his chores for the day and he was very exhausted. It was July 15th, the first half of summer was almost gone, and Harry was thoroughly miserable. Not only were the Dursleys being worse than ever towards him, but Harry had the constant memory of Cedric, and the Tri-Wizard tournament on his mind. 

            Sighing, Harry lay on his bed and glanced at Hedwig's empty cage. He had sent her to live with Ron for the rest of the summer because the Dursleys had threatened to get rid of the owl. Harry's things had been locked in the cupboard under the stairs the moment he walked in the door, and he had been lectured and yelled at for hours about the ton-tongue toffee incident the previous summer.

            "I wish Hedwig were here so I would at least have someone to talk to." Harry said quietly to himself before he drifted into what he hoped would be a dreamless sleep; something he hadn't been granted all summer. He had been having terrible nightmares about Voldemort, Cedric, his parents, and the graveyard. They never seemed to end, and then he would wake up in a cold sweat and he would feel like he had just gotten to sleep. 

            Harry's wish of a dreamless sleep was not granted however, but this dream was unlike any Harry had ever experienced before.

_Harry was standing in complete darkness. He could see nothing around him, only himself. He called out; hoping for an answer, but all he received was the sound of his own echo. Confused, Harry began to think of where he could possibly be. This was certainly unlike any other dream he had ever had before. _

_Then he felt it; a phenomenal power coming from seemingly everywhere around him. However, instinct told him not to fear this strange power. For with the power, he could also feel something else. It was indescribable, and yet so familiar. It was the sense of all things good, all things right and just. It was the sense of light. Following his instincts, he headed in the direction the feeling was strongest. And the farther he walked, the more light seemed to cascade around him, until finally, he no longer seemed to be in the darkness, but he was outside in a large beautiful forest. It was definitely the most beautiful forest Harry had ever seen, even though he hadn't seen many. The trees were very large; in fact they seemed to be twice as big any normal tree. There were flowers everywhere, and the sound of nearby animals and the soft wind gave Harry a sense of euphoria. And for the first time in weeks, if not years, Harry felt at peace. _

_Harry stopped; the presence he had felt wasn't as strong anymore. Then he heard it, the most beautiful, and eerie sound in existence. It was phoenix song. Looking up quickly Harry saw the source of the beautiful music. It was Fawkes! The great bird was flying just ahead of him and Harry began to follow him frantically. _

_Harry followed the __Phoenix__ for what seemed an eternity. He was sweating considerably and very tired, but he pressed on, determined to stay with Fawkes._

_Finally, Fawkes landed on large rock overlooking a mist covered lake and Harry, grateful for a rest, stopped to catch his breath. When he had finally recovered, Harry walked over to Fawkes. "Hello Fawkes. So why did you bring me here?" Harry asked, not really expecting an answer. The beautiful bird just stared at him as if the answer were as clear as day. Fawkes then began his song again, only this time the song seemed different, almost like it was calling for something or someone. There was a great gust of wind, and Fawkes flew away. Harry was about to follow him again, but he heard his name being called from across the lake. Looking closely, he could see a figure coming toward him. When they were closer, Harry was able to see a very beautiful woman with long white hair and silver robes. She had the most amazing eyes, for they were the deepest blue Harry had ever seen. They were almost translucent, like water.  Harry stood there in shock, for not only was this woman very beautiful, but he could also feel that she was very powerful. _

_"Harry…son of light, your destiny awaits you, come….." the woman repeated the last part repeatedly, and Harry could do nothing but obey. He felt as if his mind were fogged, not unlike the effects of the imperious curse. But he felt no urge to fight this. Without any thought, he began to walk toward her, hoping against hope to be able to reach her. But every time he came within an inch of reaching her, she would back away even farther, still calling out his name. _

_Finally, the mysterious woman stopped where she was, and the spell she had over him (if that's what it was) seemed to lift. And for the first time, Harry realized he was standing in the middle of the lake! He had actually been walking on the water. _

_"How did I..?" Harry started to ask. _

_"Twas your destiny, son of light, that helped to bring you here. I merely guided you along the path."_

_"Path? What path?" he asked._

_"The path that is always there, yet never seen."_

_"I don't understand. Why am I here? Who are you?" _

_"I am Vivian. And you are here to seek what is to be sought."_

_"You're not making any sense! I'm standing in the middle of a lake! What could possibly be here?" Harry was frantic now. What if this wasn't a dream? What if all of this was real and this was just a plan of Voldemort's? The thought kept tingling in the back of Harry's mind. _

_The woman, who called herself Vivian, smiled at him. It was a warm, gentle smile. _

_She then closed her eyes, held out her hands palms up, and began to chant. The language she used was unlike any Harry had ever heard. It didn't even sound human; it was melodic, yet powerful. _

_Harry then noticed that the water under Vivian began to swirl and swirl until a small whirlpool was formed. Slowly, and quietly, Vivian began to stop chanting, and as she said the very last word, a bright, white beam of light shot out of the whirlpool, blinding Harry. It only lasted for a moment, and when he looked again, he saw a small circular mirror where the whirlpool had been. Vivian was standing next to it and seemed to be watching it, as if she were seeing something in it. Slowly, Harry stepped toward the mirror, and looked at it carefully. All he saw was a reflection of himself. Confused he looked at Vivian who was still watching the mirror as if she could see something he could not. _

_"What is this for? What's the point? I mean, I only see myself!" asked Harry. _

_The mysterious woman never took her eyes off of whatever it was she saw in the mirror. She simply said, "If you only see yourself, then worry only for yourself."_

_Without thinking, Harry said, "I don't care about myself! I just want everyone else to be safe! I want Cedric to be alive, my parents, everyone! People are dying out there because of me! And I can't do a thing to help them! It's all my fault!" Harry broke down and began to sob. The pain and grief of the last few weeks had finally caught up with him once he had said those words... _

_Harry felt a hand gently grasp his shoulder. Through teary eyes he looked up and saw Vivian smiling down upon him. She pointed to the mirror, and said, "Look again son of light." Obeying, Harry looked into the mirror, expecting to see the same reflection.  Instead, he saw the Weasleys. They were each tied to a chain  that linked to a large stone block, making them unable to go very far. They, along with many other were being forced to work as slaves. Some were digging large ditches, others were carrying stones, and some were doing little things that the death eaters surrounding them told them to do. Harry could hear the screams of those who were being tortured, and those who were digging the ditches would stop when one was deep enough and carry the bodies of the dead to be dropped into it. Sometimes, Harry saw, that as someone was carrying a body to the ditch, a death eater would for no reason at all, shoot the Avada Kedavra curse at them. So they too would be dead, and another would carry them to the ditch. They were literally digging their own graves. Harry took a closer look at the Weasleys, horrified at all he was seeing. Their spirits had obviously been broken.  Even the twins seemed to have lost their good natures. It was then that Harry realized he was no longer on the lake, but standing next the Weasley family. It was a little like the experience he had with the pensive earlier that year. Harry yelled to the Weasleys.  They didn't seem to notice him, so he ran over to them. _

_"Hey! It's me! It's Harry!" he yelled. There was no response. A tall man wearing a death eater mask walked up at that moment and yelled at Percy. Harry had a hard time understanding what he was yelling about, but the next thing he knew, Percy was on the floor with the deatheater using the cruciatus curse on him. _

_"Noo!!!" Harry yelled as he tried to tackle the deatheater. But to his surprise, he passed right through him, like he was a ghost._

_"What the…."_

_"They can not hear you, or see you, let alone feel you. You are non-existent in this reality. You are simply here to see what would have been." Said Vivian as she suddenly appeared._

_"What do you mean what would have been?" Harry asked_

_"You blame yourself everyday for the death of your parents. You constantly wish that they had not sacrificed themselves for you or that you had never been born. This is one of the possible futures that could have happened if that wish had come true. Your parents would still have been killed by Voldemort, and he would have destroyed you as well without the protection of your mother. Because of that, he was able to gain control of the world and enslave its inhabitants, both muggle and magical."_

_"What about Dumbledore?" asked Harry._

_"Voldemort killed him in a final duel."_

_"Sirius?"_

_"He was tortured until death in Azkaban after the Potters were killed."_

_"Professor Lupin?"_

_"He was hunted down and killed when Voldemort began recruiting werewolves. Lupin in your reality wasn't killed because Dumbledore was there to help prove his loyalty." _

_"Hermione?"_

_"Killed shortly after Voldemort killed the Potters, along with the rest of her family and many other muggle families."_

_Harry stood there in horror. It couldn't be true. None of this could be possible. Just because he hadn't survived in this reality everyone he knew was dead or dying! He tried looking around him, but the horrors of this reality made him sick, and he could no longer look. There were dark ominous clouds covering the sky, and indeed there were slaves everywhere being beaten and tortured. The world was definable only as chaos. He then noticed something. _

_"All of the Weasleys are here, except Ginny. Where is she?"_

_Vivian looked sad for a moment and then muttered a few words. The world around Harry swirled until finally he was no longer in the chaotic world, but in a small throne room. Sitting on a large ebony throne was Voldemort himself, only he looked much more powerful than Harry remembered him being a few weeks earlier.  Surprisingly, Harry's scar didn't hurt as he watched the scene unfold. Ginny had just walked into the room. She was much older than the 13 year old girl Harry knew. Everything about her was different for Harry. Her height, her age, even her eyes; her eyes didn't hold the familiar glow in them. They were empty, almost soulless. It was as if she simply didn't care about anything anymore. She walked slowly up to Voldemort who had an evil grin on his face, and bowed. _

_"How may I please you Master." It was more of a statement then a question. Voldemort's grin grew wider as he hissed at the woman kneeling before him, "You would please me by answering my question. Have you considered it?" _

_Ginny hesitated before answering. "My family, what would happen to them?" _

_A malicious look flashed in Voldemort's eyes briefly. "Why, I would set them free of course. But only if you agree to give yourself to me." It seemed Voldemort was too much of a coward to commit rape, or maybe he wanted someone to give themselves to him freely, Harry wasn't sure.  A small tear rolled down Ginny's cheek and she nodded yes._

_Voldemort signaled to a deatheater standing guard by a large door. "Send Lucius to the camp where the Weasleys are being held with my permission to kill them any way he sees fit." The deatheater grinned evilly and nodded his head before leaving the throne room. _

_"But...but you said you'd set them free!" Ginny screamed. _

_Voldemort got up and walked towards her. "And they will be. Free from this life. Therefore I kept my end of the bargain, now you will keep yours. You will give yourself to me, body and soul." Until that moment, Ginny had had her head down as she cried heavily. She then slowly lifted her head and glared coldly at Voldemort. "You will never take me. My body maybe, but never my soul, that is only mine to give, it is not meant to be taken, nor could it be taken. I would welcome death before disgracing myself and my family so greatly." With that, she spat in his face and turned her back on him as she walked away. Voldemort was shaking with rage as he drew out his wand and pointed it at her retreating form. "Then so be it." He hissed. There was a blinding flashing of green light, and Ginny lay there on the floor lifeless.  _

_Harry couldn't watch anymore.  It was a nightmare, all of it. _

_"VIVIAN!!!" Harry screamed. _

_Vivian appeared and once again the world around Harry swirled... This time, he saw Hogwarts in ruins... and the lawn was covered in blood. Bodies lay everywhere. Some were students and teachers, some were clearly death eaters. Harry saw the body of Ron and Hermione, and of all of his school friends. He even saw Cedric lying there as he did in the graveyard, only it was clear that he been through hours of torture from the marks and blood on his body._

_"What reality is this?!" Harry asked in shock. _

_"If you had taken the tri-wizard cup alone instead of with Cedric, Voldemort would still have been reborn. You would have been killed, because you would have lost the will to fight. Your anger over Cedric's death had helped to fuel your need to survive in your reality. Of course, Cedric would still live, but only until Voldemort attacked Hogwarts the following day. He, along with everyone else you ever knew would have been killed. Voldemort did not attack Hogwarts in your reality, because Barty Crouch Jr. had been discovered, and he was to help Voldemort gain entrance to the school. But because you were able to return, and Dumbledore was able to discover the truth about him, he was killed, and Voldemort never attacked."_

_Harry sat there stunned, staring at the death and destruction around him. Vivian crouched next to him, and held him in a tight embrace. And then Harry realized they were once more on the lake, hovering above the mirror. She then whispered in his ear, "You are not responsible for fate. Fate itself is controlled by no one. What is meant to be is meant to be. You see Harry, it is futile to blame yourself for the decisions of fate. Do you understand?"_

_"Yes." Harry said quietly and wiped the tears from his face and stood up. _

_"Then you are ready. The day is coming son of light. Soon your journey towards your destiny will truly begin, and it will be up to you to decide which path to take of the many fate has lain before you. Go now, follow Fawkes. He will guide you to your awakening."_

_She then handed him a necklace. It was a black rope with a small silver and gold pendant hanging from it. The pendant was shaped like a crest and gold outlined its edges. It had a phoenix rising from the ashes in the background of it, and in the foreground was a griffin and fox facing one another. A unicorn stood on its hind legs on the breast of the phoenix, making it look as if they were one being. It was truly beautiful. Harry put it around his neck and thanked Vivian. She simply smiled and said, "Live your journey to the end, son of light. Live it to the end." With that she disappeared, and Fawkes flew ahead of Harry and once again began his song, and Harry followed the great bird. He followed him past the lake, through the forest and once again into darkness, where he felt himself fading. _

Opening his eyes to the light of dawn, Harry looked around his room in astonishment. 'Was all of that real?' He wondered. He then felt the necklace around his neck and pulled it out. It was just as it had been in his dream. Only this time, he noticed something on the back.  An eye had been lightly carved on the back, with a deep blue iris. Seeing it, Harry knew that he would always be reminded that sometimes you had to see beyond your own reflection. 

Authors Note: 

So what did you think? Please review, they make me extra happy. Also, this will be a Harry/Ginny   Ron/Hermione fic. Just so you know. Remember, review review review!! Ahem, please.


	2. A History Lesson and Timeless Preparatio...

Chapter 1:

A History Lesson

It had been a long day. Harry had woken up that morning fully rested after his 'dream' the night before. And it was a good thing too because the Dursleys had decided that today, Harry would do a few extra chores. Harry had looked at his list blankly, not daring to speak against it in fear that he would receive more to do. 

_Chores:_

_Paint the garage door_

_Paint the fence-both sides!!_

_Mow the front lawn, and the back_

_Weed the garden_

_Redo the landscaping of the garden_

_Clean the garage_

_Clean the attic_

_Wash the windows-both sides!!_

_Vacuum the house_

_Mop the floors_

_Clean the kitchen after each meal_

Harry finally decided (though he already had a sneaking suspicion) that the Dursleys were quite mad. But nonetheless, Harry set to work. And by 8:00 that night, he was finally finished. But Harry was too tired to eat dinner (that is, if you count stale bread and a glass of water as dinner). So he simply went straight to bed. Little did he know what would come of that slumber.

Harry was once again in a large forest. Only this time, it somehow seemed different. But he couldn't figure out why. He was standing in a large clearing. In the middle of the clearing was a very large, very ancient looking willow. The trunk of the tree had intricate carvings on it that Harry had never seen before. His curiosity getting the better of him he headed toward the tree. He was drawn to it somehow. As he stepped up to the tree, he could have sworn he heard someone humming. Cautiously, Harry reached out and put his hand on the tree. Or at least he tried to, but the moment his hand and the tree connected, Harry felt himself falling. He wasn't sure, but he thought he had fallen _into the tree. He landed hard on the ground of wherever he was and he stood up quickly. He tried to see where he was, but Harry's glasses had fallen off. So the entire room was fuzzy._

"Those glasses of yours could become a nuisance. I think we ought to take care of that" said someone in the room.

Almost instantly, Harry could see perfectly without his glasses. Shocked, Harry examined his surroundings carefully; marveling at the way things looked without the help of his ever present glasses.

 He was in a cave, he knew that. But this cave was different. It was made of millions of different crystals that were all different colors and shining brightly. The cave was full of different shelves containing many different books, and tables with potions, quills, more books, trunks, telescopes, magnifying glasses, maps, staffs, a wand here and there, a pensive, and many more things Harry noted.  Amazed, he looked around for the owner of the voice and found an old man who closely resembled Dumbledore sitting at a desk and smiling at him. The old man had long  hair and a long beard just like Dumbledore, except this man's hair was a bit more silver. He wore long blue robes with shooting stars streaking across them, and a large, blue hat that was slightly bent at the tip. The man's eyes were what caught Harry's attention the most though. They were a deep emerald green, not unlike his own. Except this man's eyes held a deep wisdom in them, and Harry felt a sense of trust for this man. 

"Who are you?" asked Harry.

The man chuckled. And standing up, began to walk towards Harry. 

"That is a very good question young man. But first, who are you?"

"I'm Harry Potter." Replied Harry simply.

"Is that so? Well then, you're not the boy I was expecting. Oh no not at all. This is quite a puzzlement indeed." The old man began to mumble to himself incoherently.

"Um, who were you expecting sir?" asked Harry.

"Ahh, a young man with respect for his elders; a rare thing indeed; don't ever lose that my boy. And to answer your question, I was expecting you."

Harry was very confused now.

"But I thought you weren't expecting me?"

"No, no. I wasn't expecting Harry Potter. But I was expecting you" said the old man as if that explained everything.

"But, I AM Harry Potter."

"No my boy, Harry Potter may be your name, but it is not who, or what you are. Who and what we are is shaped by our actions, our beliefs, our emotions, and our instincts. So again, I ask you, WHO are you?" said the old man patiently.

Harry wasn't sure how to answer. How could he? Not even he knew who he was.

"Um, well, I'm a wizard." Harry said, hoping this might help.

"Are you?" asked the old man.

"Well, I can do magic. I guess that makes me a wizard."

"Magic can not be _done my boy.  Magic is energy, it is life, and it is everything around us. It is a part of you, as it is everyone else. Everything in life and death is connected to it. The people you call muggles are as connected with magic as you are. The only difference is that you were blessed with the gift of harnessing that power and working with it to create or destroy something." The old man noticed Harry's confused face and said, "I think we need a bit of a history lesson."_

Harry inwardly groaned. 'I hope he isn't like Professor Binns' thought Harry. 

The old man led Harry to a small room on the other side of the cave. In this room, Harry was in awe to see that they no longer seemed to be in the cave. The room they were in had no walls, and the night sky seemed to surround them, its stars floating among them. It was almost as if they actually were in space. Then, the old man spoke.

  
            "You see my boy, when this world was created trillions of years ago, humans did not exist. In fact, they would not come until the earth itself was already very ancient. Instead, a race of great power resided on this planet. These people were called Akitians. They closely resembled humans. In fact, the only physical difference between the two was that Akitians had wings. Akitians also had magical abilities that were far greater than any human could hope to dream of. The Akitians were ruled by what you or I would call a King and Queen. And this species lived contently for thousands of years. But one thing that Akitians and Humans _do share is a conflicting nature. Like humans, some Akitians desired power, while some simply hungered for destruction. And so, the Chaos wars began. And they were aptly named Harry. These wars ravaged the earth in such a way that you could feel the earth's very essence beginning to wane._

 Finally, one Akitian stood above them all and put an end to the wars. It is not known how, not even to me. But he did. Not only that, but he helped to mend the scars that had been forged into the earth, and created what was hoped to be an everlasting peace. This man became the new king, and he ruled his people well. But his advisor, a very powerful prophet, had a vision. Their very civilization would come to an end to make way for a new race of beings, humans. This prophet saw these humans, he saw their nature, and their thirst for power, and the wars they would have. He told his King of his vision. And so it was decided that they would accept their fate. Because once a vision occurs, there is no way of changing it. However, they decided that they needed a way to help these new beings find the peace that the Akitians had worked so hard to create. And so, as one, they all bonded their powers together and sort of _fused into one being. This being that they became took the form of a giant bird; a phoenix to be precise. This phoenix was pure white, with a long, flowing silver tail. Its eyes were a deep blue sapphire, and its song could be heard throughout the world._

 This phoenix hid itself away from the world and watched and waited for the arrival of the humans. And when they did arrive, the great phoenix sang its beautiful song and somehow the humans were able to become a part of magic, as I told you earlier. But some of the humans found that they, like the Akitians, were able to channel this power and accomplish things with it. Those who could and those who could not lived peacefully for thousands of years. But as time passed, fear enveloped those who could not channel the power. And fear, as it always does, turned to hatred. And the two split into what you would call muggles, and magiks". The old man stopped for a moment to take a breath. As he had been talking, images of what he had been saying were appearing all around Harry, as if he were actually watching history happen.

"So, are you with me so far?" asked the old man.

"I think so" replied Harry.

"Good, because we have much more to cover."

"Now, where was I? Ah yes. The years passed by, and the hatred between the muggles and the magiks mounted. Finally, the great phoenix, who was now father to many more phoenixes like the ones you see today, could take no more. And so it decided to once more fuse. Only this time, it would fuse with a human being in the hopes that its influence could help the humans shape their life with peace. It entered a young woman by the name of Verina. Nine months later, she gave birth to a child, a child that was in fact the human form of the great phoenix. This child, who had no father, was thought to be a demon _because it had no father. However, I need not go into his adventures because you already know them."_

"I do?" said Harry surprised.

"Yes, you see, that boy's name, was Merlyn. But, you may call me anything you like." Merlyn's eyes twinkled as Harry looked at him with a mixture of awe, surprise, and doubt.

"But, Merlyn is dead! How could you be him?" asked Harry.

"Well, I am dead. What you see before you is only a shadow of my former self. Now, if I may continue.  I became a very powerful magik as you know. I trained Arthur to become a great King. Vivian, whom I believe you already met," Merlyn said as he pointed to the necklace Harry still wore, "gave him the sword Excalibur. And with it, and my training, Arthur brought England into a golden age of peace and prosperity. But the peace did not last. Treachery, deceit, corruption, black magic, and finally human nature helped create the downfall of Arthur and myself. I became trapped in the willow tree, which is actually a portal to a dimension created entirely of caves, which is where I now and shall forever reside. But when I died hundreds of years ago, the phoenix left as well and fused with another, and another, and another. Heroes, kings, queens, commoners, all sorts of different people became one with the phoenix. But not one was able to bring true peace to the world. 

            One of the founders of Hogwarts, Godric Gryffindor, is the most famous host of the phoenix in the wizarding world. Of course, no one knows that, or anything about the phoenix; only the person who has become one with it knows. Currently, the phoenix is searching for a host. And you Harry have been chosen since birth to be that host."

            Harry stared at Merlyn completely dumbstruck.

            "M-me? But why me?" 

            "Because Harry, like all those before you, you are pure of heart, and for another important reason. You see Harry, contrary to what is believed, I did marry (in secret mind you) and had a child. My daughter, whose name was Christiana kept the secret of her heritage until the day she died. She married a young man by the name Godric Gryffindor the second, the son of Godric Gryffindor obviously. They too had a daughter, and she married a man by the name of Thomas Potter." 

            The realization of what Merlyn had just said began to dawn on Harry.

            "So, I'm related to you and Godric Gryffindor!!"

            "Yes, this automatically makes you more powerful than the average wizard, capable of things beyond what those around you could comprehend. You are in a sense already a part of the phoenix and there for the Akitians because you are related to me, and I was created _by the Akitians soul. I know this is very confusing, but you will understand in time" said Merlyn._

            "Ok, so what happens now?" asked Harry.

            "Right now, I am going to train you. Help you prepare for when you will merge with the phoenix. You see, even though you are quite powerful, you are not yet physically, or mentally strong enough to withstand the powerful energy that you will have. Especially since you are merging with it so much later than many others did."

            "Why didn't I merge with it when I was a baby?" 

            "Because at that time, the phoenix was already merged with your mother, Lily Evans, and when she died the power would have gone to you except that it felt you weren't yet ready. So it chose instead to return to its true form and wait for the day when you would be ready, which will be your fifteenth birthday. Today is July 16, which means I have two weeks to prepare you. But in this room, time does not exist. We could be here for years, and only minutes would have passed in the real world."

            "So where do we begin?" Harry asked, excitedly.

            "Why Harry my boy, we start where everyone starts, the beginning!!" 

"Excellent! You learn quickly Harry. But you are still leaving your left side open to attack."

"I'll remember that Arthur. But at least I'm doing better than I did in the beginning!" Harry replied laughing.

Merlyn had started Harry's training immediately. At first, it had consisted of Harry simply getting into better shape and eating better food. His time with the Dursleys always left him too thin and malnourished. Harry had posed a question to his new mentor on their first day of training.

 "Merlyn, what's the point of this if I'm still asleep in my reality?" 

"It is true that you are still asleep Harry, but the magic of this place helps your body to change even though you do not age (because time is non-existent here). As you grow here, so does your body grow in your reality."

Once Harry was back to good health, Merlyn had him practicing meditation, and other exercises that would help to calm his mind. 

"Meditation is essential for you join with the phoenix. When you do merge, a million thoughts, feelings, and senses will explode around you. It will be as if you were experiencing the world through Akitians themselves. Which, in a way you are. The meditation will help you to clear your mind and ease into your change. It will also allow you to enter a type of void where you can talk face to face with the Akitians."

After Harry was able to meditate fully, Merlyn had called upon the spirit of King Arthur, Merlyn's first pupil, to teach Harry the principals of fighting and strategy. So far, Arthur had taught Harry to use the sword, daggers, the staff, the bow and arrow, (Harry somehow felt at ease with all of these. and he also showed Harry (with the help of Merlyn of course) his many battles, including his last, at the reasons he made certain decisions and their strategic significance. 

Merlyn taught Harry the finer points of chess, which also enhanced his strategic abilities. Harry secretly couldn't wait to meet with Ron again so that they could play a game of chess. He also tutored Harry in dueling, which Harry found he had talent for.

And so, what felt like a year to Harry, became a week in his reality. With one week left to go, Merlyn and Harry said farewell to Arthur and left the timeless place. Back in the caves that were Merlyn's home, Harry was allowed to read and/or take many books from Merlyn's collection. Even though he knew he would never be able to read them all, he was still determined to try. 

Merlyn continued to teach Harry the history of the world, and of the myths and legends that were true and that were not true but simply based on a true event and exaggerated greatly. He taught Harry more about the connection that magic had with all things, living and dead, and also entertained him with stories of when he himself had been a boy, or even when Arthur had been young and impetuous. Finally, it was July 30th, and the time soon came for Harry to leave the caves and his mentor and prepare himself for the coming of the phoenix. 

"I have two gifts for you Harry. Since tomorrow is your birthday. My first gift, is this trunk." Merlyn waved his hand and a beautifully made trunk appeared. It was made of ancient oak which was the finest wood to carve anything out of because the wood itself is magical and bends to your will, allowing you to carve it into amazing things. On the lid of the trunk, the design that was on Harry's necklace had been carved marvelously. And like all wizard pictures, this carving came alive. The fox and the griffin rubbed their heads together as a sign of affection, and the winged unicorn that seemed to charge at you from the flames that the phoenix created stared at him with knowing eyes, while the phoenix sang a beautiful song that Harry knew only he could hear. There was one lock on the front. 

"This trunk will open for you and you alone. Simply put your hand on the lock and say open, and it will open into a bottomless compartment that will hold anything you wish. If you put your hand on the lock, and say 'open library' then will open to reveal a compartment that you will actually be able to enter. In it you find an _organized collection of all my books since you seem determined to read them all." Merlyn chuckled at this. _

"Lastly, if you say 'open Caves' it will transport you back here, incase you have need of me."

Harry was amazed at all the trunk was able to do. 

"Thank you Merlyn! It's wonderful!" Harry said at last.

"You're quite welcome my boy. Now, to receive my second gift, follow me."

Harry followed Merlyn into the timeless room as he had come to call it after his year spent in there. Once they had entered, Merlyn raised his arms and said an incantation. Instantly someone appeared a few feet in front of them. It took a few moments for Harry to realize that it was his mother, Lily Evans.

Shocked, he simply stood there. But his mother had other ideas. She ran to her son with her arms spread and hugged him tightly. Both of them cried openly for many minutes before Lily finely pulled away from her son. 

"So, I see Merlyn has finely brought us together" said Lily.

"But, How are you here mum?" asked Harry.

"Merlyn called upon my spirit, just as he did Arthur's. He would have called your father also, but Merlyn could only call one other person. Even his powers are have limits.  When he contacted us in the spirit realm (he can do that somehow) he asked which one of us should see you. James immediately said it should be me. Although he wanted to see you more than you could imagine Harry. We love you so much. And we are very proud of you and all that you have become. We've been watching over you, and we have never, not once, regretted dying to save you."

Harry was once again crying, as was Lily and once again they embraced.

"Come, we have much to talk about" said Lily. 

And so they both sat down in the timeless place and talked of simple things and important things. They talked of the past, the present and the future, about James and all the things he had told Lily to tell their son. Merlyn watched them from a distance, smiling at mother and son reunited.  

However, Lily finally had to leave. For spirits can not linger long in anyplace other than the spirit realm. She and Harry shared one last hug before they parted, and Harry thanked Merlyn even more profusely for his second gift.

"Harry, seeing you happy is a gift to me. Now, it is time for you to return to your reality. Now, I must remind you that you that you can not tell anyone about me, your heritage, the Akitians or your training. No one must know. It is too dangerous if too many people are aware of what you are able to do. I may give you permission in the future to tell Ron and Hermione, and maybe others later on. But until I say so, tell no one."

"I won't Merlyn. You have my word." 

Merlyn led Harry out of the timeless place, and into the middle of the cave. Merlyn took out his wand, which Harry had rarely seen him use, and before he did anything, he asked Harry one last question.

"Who are you?"

Harry thought a moment. Merlyn had asked him this question everyday since his arrival, and everyday he had been unable to answer. But now, the answer came to him as clear as day. Harry smiled and replied,

"I'm me."

Merlyn smiled with pride before saying, "That's all we ever are Harry. That's all we ever are. Goodbye." He tapped Harry on the head with his wand, and with a 'pop!' Harry was gone.

Authors Note: 

So what did you guys think? Please review, it makes me extra happy. If you're confused, don't worry, I'll try to tie up any loose ends in the next chapter. If there is something particular that confuses you, put it in your review and I'll make sure to especially cover that. 


	3. Bonding of Souls

Chapter Two:

Bonding of Souls

            With a start, Harry sat up in his bed. 'Had it all been a dream?' he wondered. Quickly, he got out of bed and looked at himself in the mirror, almost feinting in the process. His reflection was no longer that of a skinny 15 year old boy, but that of a tall young man. It seemed Harry had grown considerably while in the timeless place. He guessed he was about 5'10 now, and he assumed he would continue to grow in the future. His hair now reached a little past his shoulders (he hadn't been able to cut it while training, and he found he liked his hair long) and it no longer looked untamed. He had more muscles due to his training with Arthur and was now pretty well built for his age.

            "Look out Malfoy. I have a feeling you'll lay off for a while this year." Harry muttered to himself as he smirked, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

            He quickly dressed in an old pair jeans and a shirt he had. They didn't fit very well, even though he had grown, but he promised himself he would go out and buy some good muggle clothes to wear as soon as he got the chance. He would have to make a stop in Diagon Alley to change his wizard money of course, but he needed to go there anyway.

            Once he was dressed, he looked at his clock. It was 9 p.m. Three more hours and he would officially be fifteen years old. And he knew that the phoenix would come then. He didn't know how the phoenix would come; he just knew that it would.

            Harry then headed downstairs and found the Dursleys sitting in their living room watching one of their favorite programs. Petunia was the first to notice his entry and his new appearance and shrieked at the obvious changes that had happened to her nephew. This alerted Vernon and Dudley and they too yelped in surprise at what had happened to Harry. 

            "Y-you…you've been doing magic in this house boy!! H-how dare you! You didn't look like that yesterday!!!" Vernon continue to babble while Dudley and Petunia hid behind their husband (well Dudley tried anyway).

            'Yesterday? Haven't they noticed that I've been in my room asleep for two whole weeks?' Harry wondered, but then realized that Merlyn must have done something so that they didn't notice his absence.

            "I haven't been doing magic Uncle. I've simply had a…growth spurt. It's quite common among us magiks."

            Vernon, who now had to look up slightly at his nephew, was seething with rage. He had said the _M word._

            "You ungrateful brat! I told you never to use that word in my house. I'll beat you so badly you won't be able to attend that…that school of yours! You'll be lucky if I let you even go to the hospital! You freak! Just like your parents, they were freaks too, should have been shot-" That was the last straw for Harry. 

            "Don't you _dare talk about my parents." said Harry angrily, while a definite magical energy seem to grow inside the room, shocking the Dursleys enough to make them be quiet._

            "You don't know anything. My parents gave their lives so that I could live. That's more than I can say for you three. I didn't ask to stay here! I didn't ask for your so called charity for the last fourteen years! I didn't ask to be different from anyone else!" Harry was starting to calm down; doing a mental exercise Merlyn had taught him. 

            "But that's your problem. If it's different then it must dangerous, freakish, deadly, or downright WRONG. Well guess, what, locking a child up in a cupboard because he is different from you is WRONG." 

            Harry turned and walked back upstairs, leaving his relatives still cowering in fear of Harry. 

            Harry was sitting on his bed waiting for the clock to hit 12:00 a.m. It was currently 11:58. He had exactly two minutes more to ponder how much his life was going to change. Would he look different? Would he feel different? What exactly would change about him, if anything at all? Harry cursed himself for not asking Merlyn these questions before. He certainly didn't have to go see him now, what with the phoenix coming and all.

            11:59, one more minute. 

            Harry sighed and wondered why time was so slow when you were waiting for something.

            Finally, there ten seconds left, and more questions flashed through his mind.

            9….How powerful will I become?

            8….What will Ron and Hermione say when I'm able to tell them?

            7….Should I tell Dumbledore?

            6….What was it like for Mum?

            5….Will there be things I can no longer do?

            4….What sort of powers will I receive?

            3….Are they sure I'm worthy of this?

            2….Does Voldemort know?

            1….Why can't I be normal?

The clock blinked 12:00 a.m. At first, nothing happened. All was quiet, even the crickets outside his window. But after a few moments, Harry felt it. It was the same feeling of energy and goodness that he felt in his dream of Vivian, the feeling that had led him out of the dark place to Fawkes. 

Not sure what he was supposed to do, Harry simply sat there and waited. The feeling growing closer and closer with each passing moment until finally an extremely bright light flashed in his room. It was so bright; Harry was forced to cover his eyes with his arms. But it seemed to be no use. As he tried to protect his eyes from the bright light, he felt something pass through him. It was only slightly painful , but it was shocking to say the least. Finally the light in his room vanished and cautiously Harry opened his eyes, only he was surprised to see that once again, he was no longer in his room. Instead he was in a very odd place. All around him was a deep blue haze, and a light, silvery fog hovered just below his waist. The place was eerie, yet beautiful at the same time.

[[[Hello Harry]]]

Harry spun around but found no one. Whoever had said his name, it sounded like more than one voice speaking at the same time. Harry continued to look around him in fright. He wasn't sure if this was what was supposed to happen.

[[[Do not be frightened young light, we will not harm you. You know us from Merlyn.]]]

"You're the Akitians. But, why can't I see you?"

[[[We are the Akitians; the race before humans, and the magic of the world. You can not see us because our souls are not yet bonded enough for our auras to become one. That will happen after we have been fully bonded enough. When that happens, you will be able to see our true form or the forms of individuals of our race]]]

"You mean, we're already bonded?" Harry asked.

[[[Yes]]]

"But Merlyn always talked about having to prepare me for our bonding. He said that the amount of energy I would receive could destroy me if I wasn't prepared for it! All I felt was something going through me. It didn't even really hurt."

[[[That is because Merlyn was unaware of a one detail young light. The reason Voldemort sought to kill your father and yourself is because he believed that your father was bonded to us and that when he killed him, we would bond next with you. Voldemort did not know that it was in fact your mother who was bonded to us, which is why he had no interest in killing her. But when she sacrificed herself for you, her love, along with a part of our soul went into you, helping to protect you from the Avada Kedavra curse. So you see, the pain of completely bonding with us now wasn't  as painful as it should have been because we were already partially bonded to you. The reason we did not completely bond with you when you were a baby was because your body was already too weak to handle so much more energy. So we decided to wait until the day we felt you were ready. That day is today. Now do you have any questions?]]]

Harry stood there for a moment as the pieces of his past and Voldemort finally came into place. A million questions rushed into his mind. But he decided to ask the one that had been nagging at him for quite some time now.

"I do have a few questions. Firstly, if my mother was bonded to you, why didn't she just defeat Voldemort on her own? With you bonded to her, didn't she have enough power?"

[[[Good question young light. It also brings us to another reason you felt so little pain from our bonding. You see, with each new person we bond with, we bestow upon them different gifts. Merlyn, we gave the gift of life and from that gift stemmed his abilities. Because we in a sense created him, he inherited some our powers.

Others, we bestowed the power of voice, voice to reach out to people and touch their hearts to accomplish peace. Some we bestowed some our power so that they could defeat great evil. Your mother, we bestowed a very different gift. Our gift to her was _you Harry.]]]_

"Me? What do you mean?" said Harry shocked.

[[[Soon after your mother married your father, she discovered that she was unable to have children. Not even the magic that wizards and witches are capable of in this world could help her.  In her despair, she cried out for someone, anyone to help her. And we answered. We told her that we would bond with her, and make it possible for her to have children, so that she and her husband could share their infinite love with  the child that they had wanted for so long. We did not create you as we created Merlyn, but we did help to bring about your existence. By helping your mother, and creating Merlyn, who you are a descendent of.  So you are as much a part of us as we are apart of you. You are now completely bonded with us, and we are completely bonded with you.]]]

Harry stood there a moment, trying to absorb all he was hearing. Finally he asked another question.

"So what exactly is your gift to me?"

[[[Before we became one being, the prophet had another vision. That of a young boy, who would rise up in the midst of darkness like a phoenix from flame and bring hope to all those in need. He would bring everlasting peace to the world and create balance between good and evil. He would have the help of the wise fox, the lord of the skies and the earth, and the eternal healer. That boy is you young light. That boy is you. And because of this, we are now forever bonded to you, more so than any other we have ever bonded with. You have our power, and our guidance. But most of all Harry, You now have yourself.]]]

"Malfoy! What news of the ministry and Fudge?" A Snake like man hissed to a figure that was bowed before him wearing black robes and a mask of a skull. The snake like man was Voldemort, newly resurrected and beginning to organize his deatheaters into a stronger force than they had been during his first reign of terror.

"Master, that idiot Fudge still refuses to believe that you have returned. Only a select few believe that muggle-loving fool Dumbledore. But his influence is great, and he will soon gain more assistance."

"I see. And the dementors?" Voldemort hissed.

"They do not believe me when I say that you have returned. They say that if you have truly returned, they wish to see you for themselves."

Voldemort smiled evilly.

"Tell them they will see me soon enough. And when they do, I will have a nice _treat for them."_

"Yes Master."

Lucius Malfoy then left his master's chamber quickly.

"Wormtail!"

A cowering figure with a silver hand came forward and bowed low to his master.

"Y-yes m-m-my lord." He stammered.

"You are a fool and a coward Wormtail. You are lucky that I keep you alive, which I only do because you may prove more useful to me later on."

"Y-y-y-yes master."

"Have you located the Giant village?" asked Voldemort.

"Yes m-m-master. They are located in a large forest, in northern Ireland."

"Then what are you waiting for you fool!? Go to them and offer a deal." Voldemort hissed angrily.

"Of course m-master! I'll leave immediately!" Wormtail turned around quickly and began to leave the room when he was suddenly hit by the crucius curse. As he writhed around on the ground in pain, Voldemort said icily, "I don't remember giving you permission to leave Wormtail. Perhaps this will teach manners." Voldemort laughed as he watched Wormtail scream in pain. All the while, a small spider crawled out a high window, and headed for a place called Hogwarts.

"So when will I be powerful enough to defeat Voldemort?" asked Harry.

[[[It will take you quite sometime to master your power. We will help you in any way we can. You will be able to talk to us any time you want. Simply reach out with your mind and we will always answer.]]]

"Thank you, umm..what exactly do I call you?"

[[[You may call us whatever you wish. But our King's name was Kainan, Kai as his many always called him.]]]

"Kai it is then."

Harry began to think of himself as leaving the place where he was able to meet with Kai. He soon found himself back in his room. And he noticed that he didn't feel any different. Walking over to the mirror, he didn't see anything  different.

[[[Look at your back Harry.]]]

The voice spoke in his mind and it startled Harry. 

"I'll have to get used to that." He said as he took off his shirt and looked at his back in the mirror with awe. On his back was a tattoo of sorts of a beautiful white phoenix with a silver tail. It was rising from dark blue flames, and instead of the blue eyes Merlyn had described the phoenix as having, this one had green eyes.

[[[That is your mark. The mark that shows you are the one true phoenix, the last remaining memory of the Akitians.]]]

Harry smiled and lay on his bed, extremely tired. The sound of phoenix song lulling him to sleep.

Authors Note: Thank you to all who reviewed!

StuffedTiger: Thank you for your compliment! And don't worry, I plan to.

Della Luna: I've got the whole Akitian thing in my head (it just popped in there one day, don't where it came from) and I'm trying to explain it as clearly as possible. If you think I need to add anything else, just let me know.

Jamesoletmebe: Don't worry, Harry will have to grow into his powers. And you're right; there wouldn't be much of a story without conflict. And by the way, I love recommendations, they help me write better. ;)

Songhamdragon: I try to keep chapters coming as soon as possible. I can't always though, but I do try. 

Billy: Thank you! I was going for interesting, and I think this is atleast a little original.

Nexus: Thanks, any suggestions let me know.

Bucky: The H/G will come soon. I'm a big fan of the H/G ship (their soul mates, and that's all I have to say on the subject!! :P) so I wouldn't dream of leaving it out.

Hexwa: I will! I promise! 

Ian: I thought the dream sequence was a little overdramatic, so I wasn't sure about it. But I decided to go ahead with it.  As for the power thing, well, he'll have to grow into it. So its not like he's all of a sudden "Don't mess with me, I'm a god." And he actually never will be. We'll just have to see how things play out.

A: Thank you for your compliment. If you have any suggestions, or if I stray from my path, don't hesitate to let me know.

Heather: Well kind of. He only saw himself because all he was thinking of was his own guilt. He hadn't yet mature enough to realize that some things are simply meant to happen for reason. It also represented the fact that he had yet to say aloud that he wished his parents had lived and he had died, same with Cedric. When he said it aloud, the images of what could have happened finally showed themselves in the mirror. Sometimes, to see the truth, we have to acknowledge our own ignorance.


	4. Gifts and Troubling News

Chapter 3

Gifts, and Troubling News

            Harry woke to the sound of light tapping. Getting up quickly, he saw a very peculiar site indeed. Perched patiently on the tree right outside his window were many owls with parcels and letters waiting to be delivered. He glanced at his clock and saw that it was 4:30 in the morning. The sun hadn't even risen yet. 

            Harry quickly opened his window and Hedwig flew in carrying a parcel, followed by Pig, and the rest of the owls. Harry was amazed at all parcels and letters he had received. He set to work untying all of the parcels and letters. It took him a while to catch Pig and get the parcel untied from him, but he soon managed it and finally the young owl flew away along with the other owls. Harry gently pat and said, "It's nice to see you again girl. I've really been missing you."

*I've missed you too Harry.*

Harry jumped back in surprise. 

"Did...did you just talk?!" Harry muttered.

*Yes, it seems you can understand me now. I am quite pleased Harry.*

"But…how?"

[[[It is one of many abilities you will discover that you have Harry. Because we Akitians are magic in a sense, we are also a part of life itself. Being bonded to us gives you a connection to all living things, and therefore, you are able to talk with nature, and you are able to understand its reply.]]]

"Wow, I never even thought about being able to do that. I like it though. Tell me Hedwig, how do you like staying at Ron's?" 

*Not as much as like being with you Harry. And I can't say I like being around that _pig. I fear that he will never learn to be still and do his duty!* Hedwig said and ruffled her feathers a bit. Harry laughed quietly._

"Have faith Hedwig. I'm sure when he's a bit older he'll calm down a bit."

*Perhaps* replied Hedwig, but she didn't seem convinced. Harry shook his head and silently chuckled as he grabbed the letter nearest to him and saw that it was from Hermione. Smiling, he opened it and read:

_Dear Harry,_

_How are you? Are your relatives treating you ok? Has your scar hurt? Make sure to tell Dumbledore if it does Harry. Anyway, Happy Birthday Harry! I got you the perfect gift. I know how much you hate not being able to know what's going on in the wizarding world, so I got you a subscription to the Daily Prophet, and Quidditch Weekly. Your first issues should be coming soon.  You're welcome and I'll see you on September the first. I already went to Diagon Alley to get my supplies and since I'm leaving with my parents to __New Zealand__ for the month of August, I won't be able to visit you there. Anyway, have a good summer and remember, STAY SAFE._

_Love, _

_Hermione_

_P.S. I was made a prefect! I wonder who else was. _

Harry grinned. He had known all along that Hermione would be made a prefect. How could she not be? She was the top student in the school and the only time she ever broke the rules was when they had needed to stop Voldemort or save Sirius. 

Harry then found the package from Ron. It was quite heavy, and he wondered how the little owl had managed to carry it to him. He first read the letter that accompanied it:

_Dear Harry,_

_How are ya mate? Are the muggles treating you alright? We've asked Dumbledore if you can come and stay with us for the rest of the summer, but he said no, that you were safer where you are. I don't understand it, but you know Dumbledore. Anyway, guess what? My Dad quit his job at the ministry, and accepted a job from Dumbledore. He won't tell us what, but he's making a lot more money now. So I was able to get you this gift. And believe me mate, you need the practice! We're taking good care of Hedwig, and I'll make sure to bring her with us on September the first. Did you hear Hermione was made a prefect? Saw that one coming. I wonder if she actually went to see Krum this summer. Oh well. I'll see ya on the train. We'd have taken you to Diagon Alley but Dumbledore said that you had your own way of getting there but wouldn't be going for a while. How are you getting there? Are the muggles taking you? I somehow doubt that._

_-Ron_

_P.S. I'm going to try out for Keeper this year. I'm practicing real hard and Fred and George said I might have a chance, (they even bought me new dress robes, but they won't tell us where they got money, and Mum is real suspicious)._

Harry frowned. How did Dumbledore know that I was planning on leaving for Diagon Alley on my own?

[[[We were bonded with him during the time of Grindlewald. When Dumbledore defeated him, we left him with the knowledge that we would bond with a young boy that he would meet in his future. Dumbledore was wise enough to recognize you as that boy. So he must know that we are now bonded. Just as he would know that you would be safe to go to Diagon Alley by yourself and that you would plan to do so.]]]

"I thought you bonded with your chosen for life?" asked Harry.

[[[ Sometimes we do, just as we did with Merlyn and Godric. Others we only bond with long enough to complete a task that they are meant to accomplish for peace.]]]

Harry nodded in understanding and opened Ron's gift. Inside he found a wizard's chess set.  It was a nice set too. The board was made of white marble and its squares were made of ebony and ivory.  The pieces were also carved of ebony and ivory. They greeted him warmly and as their new player. Harry greeted them as well and set the chess set to the side and opened his gift from Sirius. It was a book called 1001 Curses and Counter Curses By Jessi Rivera. His letter said, 

_Dear Harry, _

_I can't say much, I'm currently on assignment for Dumbledore. But of course, I didn't forget your birthday. I figured you would enjoy this book quite a lot. And it will come in handy for the future. Remember, if your scar hurts, be sure to write Dumbledore and me. _

_Gotta go Harry, and stay out trouble._

_Love_

_Snuffles_

Harry smiled and continued to unwrap the rest of his gifts. When he was finished he had:

_The Greatest Seekers and Their Greatest Moves By: Pandora Gonder  From Charlie A box of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes from the twins and a thank you note for his investment money. A new coat from Mrs. Weasley that had the initials H.P. A black belt with a place for his wand from Mr. Weasley Two Daggers from Bill that had ivory handles with different markings on them. ('At least now I know how to use these' thought Harry) A carving him, Ron, and Hermione from Hagrid that moved A new wrist watch from Lupin that worked just like the Weasleys clock as well as telling the time. The band was black leather and the face of the clock a broom stick flying around it. _

After Harry had opened the gift from Lupin, he noticed he still had two more parcels.

The first was a small box with a small gold key in it. Curious, Harry opened the accompanying letter and found his usual Hogwarts letter along with a note from Dumbledore.

_Harry,_

_This key opens vault 1031, your parent's vault. In it you will find the few belongings that I managed to save after their deaths. I was instructed by them to give this to you on your fifteenth birthday should anything happen to them. Also, you, along with __Miss.__ Granger have been made a prefect. A responsibility I believe you will rise to well; just as your parents did. Also, I regret to inform you that you will not be able to stay at the Weasleys this summer. A colleague of mine will come and pick you up to take you to the train station at __9:00 a.m.__ on September the first. When you arrive at school, please come straight to my office. The password is "Canary Cream". _

_-Professor Dumbledore _

"My parent's vault…." said Harry. But he just shook his head as if in a daze and opened the very last parcel. He was surprised to find that it was from Ginny.

Inside he found a small purple sphere. It was no bigger than a marble, and Harry held it in the palm of his hand wondering what it could possibly be. He pulled the note that had come with the gift.

_Dear Harry,_

_My gift is called a Rithian Sphere. They are extremely rare and very valuable. What it does is capture dreams. You simply place it under your pillow and when a nightmare comes it will capture it before you even realize you were having a nightmare. If you have a good dream, it will not interfere, but it will remember the dream for you so that you can view again anytime you want. For the select few people who have visions, it will store the visions as well. I hope this gift proves useful to you Harry. Happy Birthday._

_-Ginny_

Harry gazed at the purple sphere closely and knew that it would indeed be useful. He then looked outside and saw the first rays of dawn. He quickly put all of his gifts and cards into his trunk which already contained all of his other belongings and then quickly got dressed.

"Kai, is there anyway for me to shrink my trunk without the ministry knowing?"

[[[You already can. The ministry will not be able to sense anything the charm will take such little amount of magic from you that they won't even notice it.]]]

"Why will it take so little?" asked Harry.

[[[Because we are magic, which means you have the very essence of magic inside of you. That is the power and energy that Merlyn spoke of. Most curses, charms, hexes, and so on will take very little out you because you have so much magic inside you. Although, this does not mean you can start casting spells left and right. We are still newly bonded (completely anyway) and so your body is still getting used to us, just as we are getting used to you. You will eventually grow into your abilities, but it may take some time. ]]]

"I understand" said Harry.

He quickly put his trunk in his pocket after shrinking it with his wand which he put on his new belt. Harry then said Goodbye to Hedwig who flew back to Ron's. He wasn't afraid of the Dursleys anymore, but he couldn't take the chance of something happening to her. He then headed downstairs. The Dursleys were still asleep, so he left a note saying he was going for a walk and that he would back later that day.

"Sir, I have news" said Snape walking briskly into the headmaster's office.

"Go on Severus." Replied the Headmaster patiently.

"Wormtail is on his way with to the giant village with about 50 Deatheaters behind him. They will offer the Giants a deal, and if the giants decline, then Wormtail has orders to kill two of them as an example of what happens when one does not obey the dark lord." Snape said the last bit a little forcedly, and waited for the Headmaster to say something.

"I have already sent Hagrid and Olympe to the Giants. If I am correct, they reached the village late last night. I will send Fawkes with a note after them, so they know they to leave immediately and to convince the giants to leave as quickly as possible. Preferably here."

"Here sir?" asked Snape surprised.

"Yes, they could stay in the forest, and it would be much more difficult for anyone from the ministry that is not on our side to reach them as well as the fact that Voldemort will not come anywhere near this school until he has built up his army which will not be for sometime. Now, was there anything Severus?"

"Yes sir. The dark lord is also trying to recruit the dementors. But they do not believe he has returned. From what I could gather, he will show himself to them, as well as give them a _treat as he called it. I believe he is going to sacrifice someone, or many to the dementors."_

"This poses a problem indeed. I warned Fudge. But he's too stubborn to listen." Dumbledore sighed.

"Until we know more about what Voldemort is planning to do about the dementors, we can do nothing." 

Snape nodded and said "I will stay here tonight and go back in the morning. What of our new professors?"

"They both accepted and will be arriving in the next few weeks."

'Wow, I can't believe I found it' thought Harry as he walked up to a very old oak door. 

[[[It is where we said it would be]]] said Kai.

'Why is it that no one knows about it?' asked Harry.

[[[This door was put here centuries ago as an escape route for emergencies. A small forest in the park of Surrey is a much unexpected place to find a door leading to the busiest place in Wizarding England as well.]]]

Harry had planned to go to Diagon Alley to pick up his supplies and some new clothes. But he wasn't sure if he would be able to find it. Kai had been helped him by informing him of a door in the forest by the park that led to abandoned alley in Diagon Alley.

Harry opened the door and stepped through. He found himself in a small deserted alley just as they had said and quickly headed into the crowd of people as he made his way towards Gringotts.

Authors Note: I wasn't going to stop there, but it's late, I'm tired, and I'm sick which is also why I'm not going to be thanking everyone individually this time. I'm sorry, but I'm SO TIRED. Remember to keep those reviews coming. They're my favorite part of writing fics. Oh and I'll probably update one more time on Saturday, and then my updates aren't going to be as often. Next week I'm reviewing for exams, and the week after that, I'm TAKING exams. Ugh. If I can update during that time I will, but things will be hectic so I doubt it. But don't worry! I've got action, and a little romance coming REAL soon. 

For those who are confused: *speech* means animals or other beings of nature are speaking, 'speech' means that person is thinking, not speaking. [[[Speech]]] means the Akitians are speaking to Harry in his mind. 


	5. Meetings and Vault 1031

Chapter 4:

Meetings, Vault 1031

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter…yet *maniacal laughter is heard*

"I'd like to go to vault 1031 please." Harry stated to the Goblin sitting behind the desk.

"Key?" the Goblin stated curtly.

Harry fished the golden Gringotts key out his pocket and showed it to the Goblin, who called for another to lead Harry to the vault.

One roller coaster ride later, Harry was standing in front of his parents vault. The Goblin who had taken him there took his key and opened it for him and Harry stood there amazed at everything he saw. There were trunks scattered here and there, portraits lying against the walls covered in dust, stacks of books, a few pieces of furniture such as a well carved desk, and wardrobe, and lastly, Harry saw in the middle of the vault, a small table with a piece of parchment sitting on it. Harry turned to the Goblin.

"Could you possibly come back for me later?" he asked.

"I'm sorry sir, but I am not allowed to leave anyone in the vicinity of the vaults." Replied the Goblin stiffly.

"Alright, alright, can I just have a few minutes then?"

"Of course sir." The goblin then left to stand next to the cart, his back facing Harry who walked into the vault and over to the table. 

Shakily, he picked up the parchment and unrolled it to reveal a letter. Whoever had written it had beautiful handwriting Harry noted.

_Dearest Harry,_

_If you are reading this, then our worst fears have come true. We are no longer living and able to stand beside you as you grow in the man we are proud to call our son. But it is our hope that in your lifetime you do not have to deal with the likes of Voldemort, or other dark wizards. However, we fear it that it may be in your destiny to do so. Therefore, we can only pray you will prevail in all of your endeavors. We do know that with Padfoot,Moony and Peter at your side, you will always have good hearted and courageous (albeit immature) people to look up too._

_In this vault, you will find many things. But our most prized possessions you will find in a small black chest that we have asked Dumbledore to look after. He was instructed to place it here along with our other belongings once you turned fifteen.  All I will tell you Harry is choose wisely._

_Lastly, we simply want you to know that we have always and will always love you. We are proud knowing that you are our son, and don't ever forget that. We will always be watching over you and protecting you. _

_Love Always,_

_Mum and Dad_

_P.S. If you're anything like you're father (and I know you are) stay out of trouble, well for the most part anyway._

A small tear sped down Harry's cheek. When he had spoken with his mother in the timeless place, she had told him that he would receive something from Dumbledore on his birthday. But she hadn't said what; now he knew.  

Wiping the tears from his face quickly, Harry pulled his trunk out of his pocket, and after enlarging it, he began to place everything in the vault into the bottomless part of the trunk. When he was finished, he shrunk the trunk once more and placed it back into his pocket to go through later. He then left the now empty vault and the Goblin gave him back his key. And led him to his vault where he got a few bags of money.

Harry soon left Gringotts to get his school supplies. Looking at his list he saw he needed the usual things: potion ingredient refills, new books, and new robes (including dress robes). Harry inwardly groaned. That meant that another ball was going to be held this year. 

He already had the books because they were in Merlyn's library. His potion ingredient refills he got quickly, and then after stopping to get Hedwig some owl treats for her when he next saw her, he headed for Madam Malkin's. As he neared the store, he noticed someone oddly familiar looking at different pairs of dress robes through the glass. It wasn't until she turned her head ever so slightly that Harry realized it was Ginny. 

"Ginny?" Harry said softly as he stepped up behind her. She jumped back startled, and bumped into him. 

"Harry! What are you doing h-"she trailed off as she noticed how different Harry looked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing Ginny. Ron told me that you guys had already come by to get your school supplies. Did you guys forget something?" said Harry.

"Actually, I finally managed to convince mum that I'm old enough to come here by myself. I wanted to stop by Flourish and Blott's. See, I know the owner really well and she lets me come in and read whenever I'm here with my family. I needed to come today because she was holding a book for me." 

Ginny then seemed to realize that she was talking slightly fast, but Harry hadn't seemed to notice. He was too amazed at the fact that she just said more than two whole sentences to him and hadn't even blushed.

'I wonder if she's over her crush on me?' Harry wondered. 

"What books was she holding for you?" asked Harry and pointed to the books she held in her arms.

"A few advanced healing books and a couple of muggle books. We both like muggle poetry, and that's how we became such good friends." Ginny explained.

"Well Gin, while you're here, do you think you can help me pick out some new robes?" he asked her.

"Um, sure! I'd love too." She replied a little hesitantly. He then led her into the small robe shop.

"Hello dears! How can I help you?" asked Madam Malkin.

"I need some new robes. I've sorta outgrown my old ones" replied Harry.

"Of course dearie! Just stand still a moment while we have you measured."

The tape measure began to take his measurements all by itself while she began to get the materials ready and Ginny began to select colors for his everyday robes.

In what seemed like no time, his robes were finished, and now fit perfectly. For his everyday robes, Ginny had select  some that were midnight blue, some that were forest green,  some that were a deep red  and finally some more black.

"Thank you Ginny. They're perfect!" said Harry and Ginny couldn't help but blush slightly. Luckily, Harry didn't notice.

"You're welcome Harry. But I really should be going. Mum will worry if I'm gone too long" said Ginny.

"Alright, let me pay for these and then I'll walk you to the three broom sticks." 

Ginny nodded and walked outside to wait while Harry paid for his robes and when Madam Malkin wasn't looking, he quickly shrunk them and put them into his pocket and headed outside to Ginny. When he got there however, he found none other then Draco Malfoy standing in front of her smirking. 

"What do you want Malfoy?" Harry hissed as he stepped up beside Ginny. Draco looked at Harry and didn't seem to recognize him. Harry noticed a shocked look in his eyes but it only lasted a moment.

"Potter! What are you doing here? Escorting your little weasel girlfriend here." Draco sniggered. But Harry didn't rise to the bait, even though he wanted to. Merlyn and Arthur had taught him to pick his battles carefully. 

Harry instead smirked and said "What happened to your bodyguards Malfoy? I thought they were attached to you at the hip."

Malfoy began to shake with anger. But he then noticed the small pile of books that Ginny carried, and particularly the title of the one on top: _Grasping for Life's Perfect Dream __and Other Collected Poems By: Jesmyra Cruz. He quickly grabbed it._

"Hey! Give that back!" cried Ginny.

"A muggle book! You shame pure bloods everywhere Weasel. As a matter of fact, you're nothing better than a pathetic mud blood, just like Granger." 

That was it for Harry. Forget magic. He was going to pound Draco the old fashioned way. Well, he was going to anyway, except Ginny decided to do it for him.

She kicked him hard (and she's a little shorter than him mind you). He bent over in pain, and she took that moment to knee him right in the face, breaking his nose. He fell back onto the ground and howled in pain. 

"Last time I checked Malfoy," said Ginny picking up her book, "the only thing dirty around here are thieves like you. Don't ever touch my things again." 

Draco, with tears running down his face along with the blood that was seeping from his now very broken nose, opened his mouth to say something. However, he never got the chance. There was loud BANG, and looking up quickly, Harry was shocked to see deatheaters making their way down the street throwing curses left and right. 

People were screaming and grabbing their children to hide. Some of the braver souls ran out to duel the deatheaters, while others apparated away. Harry pulled out his wand, ready to fight, but Ginny grabbed his hand and pulled him into a small alley.

"Harry! You're no match for them! There's nothing you can do." Ginny pleaded. 

Harry hesitated a moment, but he saw the worried look in her eyes and nodded.

"Alright then; so what do you propose we do?' asked Harry.

 Ginny looked very frightened as she shook her head.

[[[Harry! Stay calm, you'll have to apparate!]]]

'Apparate!?But I've never done that before! I wouldn't even know where to begin!'

[[[We'll help you! Just hold on to Ginny's hand and concentrate on your relatives' home. Make sure to picture it VERY clearly, and be as specific as possible with the picture in your mind. Then imagine you and Ginny standing in front it.]]]

"Ginny, I'm going to try something. Hold on to my hand and whatever you do, don't let go!" said Harry. 

Ginny stared at him for a moment, but then grasped his hand firmly in her own. Harry then closed his eyes and concentrated. He thought about the Dursleys' home, with its beautifully landscaped garden, business car in the driveway, old chipped paint,  and newly mowed lawn. He pictured Ginny and himself standing in front of it. He felt a slightly tingling feeling all over his body and then a slight tugging similar to a portkey, except this pulled at his whole body. He cautiously opened his eyes, and was surprised to find not the Dursleys' home, but a thick grove of trees. Ginny stood next to him, a little frightened and stunned at the same time. Harry started to tell her everything was alright but he soon became very weak and collapsed. The last thing he remembered was Ginny leaning over him yelling his name.

"It was all a diversion…." Snape said quietly. He was sitting before the headmaster, Professor McGonagall sitting next to him with a grave look upon her face.

"What do you mean Severus?" asked Dumbledore.

"The dark lord sent a few of his newly recruited death eaters to Diagon alley so that he could go to Azkaban while the ministry was busy with them. Azkaban is now completely deserted except for a few soulless. Apparently, not all of the prisoners in the Azkaban were actually death eaters. I'm afraid it has finally happened Albus. The dementors have joined sides with Voldemort." 

Dumbledore sighed and McGonagall said, "I haven't yet heard the reports from Diagon Alley. Were there any…losses?"

"I'm afraid so Minerva. Three dead, countless injured, and two missing."

"Who was killed?" asked Snape

"Thomas O'Connell, Jacob White, and Elizabeth Stuart died trying to stop a small cluster of deatheaters from burning the shops down. They succeeded, but at great cost."

"And who are the two missing?" McGonagall asked quietly.

"Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley."

Harry opened his eyes slowly and groaned. He felt like he had just been squashed by both Dudley and Vernon and that they had still made him do his daily chores.

[[[We are sorry Harry. We should have warned you; your body isn't yet used to releasing so much magical energy. You had never apparated before, let alone with another person. You will be weak for a couple of days, but you'll be fine.]]]

'It's alright Kai. We still got out of there. Of course, I was _aiming for the Dursleys' house, and as you can see, I didn't quite hit my mark' thought Harry_

[[[You tried your best Harry. Like we said, you've never apparated before. If you had not been bonded to us, and still tried to apparate, it could have been much worse.]]]

Harry sighed and tried to sit up and groaned even louder as he was forced to lie back down.

"I see you're finally awake! I was beginning to worry" said Ginny.

"Well you know me Gin, my life just isn't fulfilled if I don't black out once a month" replied Harry grinning.

But Ginny turned serious. "Harry, what happened? One minute we're hiding in that alley and the next, we're standing in the middle of a forest! How did you apparate us?"

"Um…well, you see…" Harry began to stutter. He had no clue what he was going to tell her.

[[[It's alright Harry. You can tell her everything; she's trustworthy.]]]

'Are you sure Kai?' 

[[[Yes]]]

So Harry told her everything. He explained about seeing Vivian (but he didn't tell her what he had seen in the mirror), the necklace, seeing Merlyn, his 'history lesson', and the Akitians. When he was finished, he looked up to saw her looking at him strangely.

"You don't believe me do you?" asked Harry.

"I believe you Harry. It's just that, well, you're sharing your _soul with a race of beings that existed millions of years ago. It's just a lot to take in."_

Harry nodded and stared into the fire that Ginny had conjured while he had been unconscious. She had done quite a bit as a matter of fact. After she had conjured the fire, she found a stream nearby and gotten some water, and some more fire wood to burn later. 

"So what do we do now?" Ginny asked him.

"Well, we can't try to apparate anywhere for one. We don't have a clue where we are, and I'm too weak to walk anywhere at the moment. So I guess we'll just have to stay here for a while. When I'm stronger we can try and find a way out of here." 

It was then that they heard the sound of thunder over head, and it began to lightly rain. But they knew it would only get worse.

"Now what?" asked Ginny annoyed. 

"My trunk! It's got a library in it. We can stay in there until the storm lets up." Harry got his trunk out his pocket and set it on the ground and opened it quickly to the library. Ginny hurriedly helped to stand and then they managed to quite clumsily get him down the ladder (ok, so he fell down into the library). Ginny closed the lid and they looked around. The room they were in was circular, and there were shelves lining every inch of the walls. A ladder led up to the lid of the trunk, and another with wheels on the bottom was leaning against the nearest shelf so that you could get to the higher ones. There were three doors; one that led to a bathroom, one that led to a kitchen, and one that opened to reveal the black space where everything in his trunk was stored.

Ginny helped Harry to sit in a chair at the round table in the room and they just stared around them in wonder. 

"Well," said Ginny, "at least we won't be bored."

Authors Note: Sorry this took so long everyone. I'm finally finished with all of my exams. If you see a few mistakes in this chapter, I'm sorry. But I did it kind of hurriedly. I'll have the next chapter out after Christmas (I have to figure what I'm going to do for a few things). Oh, and as for those wondering what Gred was talking about in her review: I got the name 'Akitians' from looking around on Pet Finder.com. I saw the dog breed "Akita" and a race of immensely powerful, godlike, beings were created! 


	6. Sadly, an Author's note

Hi guys! Sorry this isn't a new chapter. And I know you guys hate it when you see that the story is updated but it turns out to only be an author's note. I hate that too! But I needed to post this. I am currently going back through my chapters and fixing a lot of stuff both grammatically, and story wise. I was writing my fifth chapter and I realized some things weren't coming together, or weren't going to work for what I have planned in the future. I've also had a few new ideas for the story but need to work those out. I expect everything to be done soon, in fact I'm working most of tonight to get as much done as I can. I won't give a date as to when my revised chapters will be out, or my new chapter. But I don't expect it to take more than a week. I know, you didn't want to hear that! Please don't kill me. I working REALLY hard to get this done, and I promise, I won't leave you guys hanging for long. By the way, I have a new group out for you guys so that I can email you when I do update just go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Magics_Apprentice/

Thanks to all my reviewers:

Luna Rose and Phoenix Child: I'm glad you like it! I'll have more out soon, I Promise!

Amulder: Very constructive review! In answer to your questions:\

I'm going on the basis that the Akitians are magic itself; which makes them connected with ALL life. So Harry is able to talk with ALL animals, and with nature because of that connection. In short: Magic is connected strongly with life, Harry has the essence of life in him, he can talk to all nature. The watch: Actually, he can fit up to 12 people. I'll go into more detail like I should have when I do all my revisions. The Rithian Sphere: Good question! You'll find out as the story progresses. Harry's Appearance: You have to understand that we really know next to nothing about Ginny's personality. We have really explored her and paid attention to her for almost three years now. So I'm basing Ginny on how I imagine her to be, and giving her a few of my friends' traits. The way I see Ginny: she'd be curious about his appearance, but she doesn't want to pry into his life. She doesn't feel close enough to him yet to ask him anything personal, or how he changed in appearance so quickly. She's shy, but strong. As to his hair, he can always pull it back. I just have a thing about Harry having long hair. Hehe. 

Peridos: Thank you my friend! And don't worry about bringing up the dog breed thing! It was funny!! And I plan on bugging you endlessly to get out your darn fic. LOL

Love always –Forge

Shdurrani: Thank you! And I will

Slayerjenn: Wow! That means a lot! I read a lot of fan fiction, and for someone to say that mine is one of the best is a true compliment considering some of the wonderful fan fiction out there! I'll hurry with the next chapter, I promise!

Temporary Insanity: Yes! It is pure coincidence, and thank you for pointing that out! I needed a good laugh. Voldie will be as strong and as weak as I make him, Draco stole her things of course she's gonna get violent and besides: since when was she really anything? I have to create an entire person's personality on a whim. Will he survive the humiliation? Sure, until I humiliate him some more. MUahahahaha!!!!!

Cateyes: Thank you!

Alamarang: You are one of my favorite fan fic writers, so your compliment means a lot. Update your fic and I'll update mine! (no! just kidding!) I'll update soon, I promise!

And to everyone else, thank you very much! Your compliments, suggestions and questions all mean a lot! So please keep them coming and I'll make sure to keep my chapters coming as soon as possible.


	7. Getting to Know Old Aquaintances

Authors Note: Sorry for the delay guys. I had no internet service for that last month cuz we moved (see Peridos's review). We sorta have it now, but I can't get on as much for the time being. Anyway, first thing I did was upload this chapter. More to come as soon as possible! Please be patient! And thank you to all my wonderful reviewers!!!!!!!!  
  
Chapter 5: Getting to Know Old Acquaintances  
  
"The diversion lost us little my lord and we now have the dementors on our side" said Lucius Malfoy.  
  
"I am aware of that Lucius. Where are they now?" replied Voldemort.  
  
"They sensed the presence of our captives. They are in the dungeons now feeding upon their suffering."  
  
"Good. Let them gather their strength. They will need it if they are to play their role correctly" said Voldemort. He thought a moment, and then yelled, "Wormtail!"  
  
The cowardly death eater rushed to kneel before his master.  
  
"Yes m-my lord?" he stuttered.  
  
"What of the giants?"  
  
"Th-they will n-not join you, my lord. But they have not yet joined with Dumbledore either. Th-they seemed to be w-waiting for something" replied Wormtail.  
  
"Why will they not join me? I have offered them everything!"  
  
Wormtail began to shake as he said, "B-b-because Hagrid is there m-my lord. He has them turned against you. N-n-nothing I could do would sway their judgment. They fought back our group easily, and only a few survived."  
  
"Hagrid.I remember. Take another three groups of deatheaters with you and attack the entire village. If the giants will not join me, then they will simply die. I can not risk them joining sides with that muggle loving fool Dumbledore" hissed Voldemort.  
  
"Y-y-yes m-my lord, of course my lord." Wormtail stood up quickly and began to leave the throne room.  
  
"Oh, and Wormtail, don't EVER fail me again. Crucio!!"  
  
Wormtail howled in agony as he crumpled to floor. His screams sent shivers down even the most ruthless of the deatheaters, while Voldemort merely laughed.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
"Harry! Harry! Harry, please wake up!"  
  
Harry jumped up quickly from his position on the floor. But the moment he did, his body seemed to remember how weak he was and he collapsed once again.  
  
He groaned and held his hand to his scar tightly, trying to alleviate the pain.  
  
Ginny rushed over to him. "Harry! What happened? What's wrong with your scar?"  
  
"Voldemort...warn.Dumbledore." Harry only managed to gasp out these words. The pain was terrible.  
  
Ginny quickly pulled his hand away and almost screamed when she saw his scar. It was a deep red color, and more prominent than ever.  
  
Composing herself, Ginny laid her left hand on his scar, and with her right hand, grasped his hand tightly. She then closed her eyes, and concentrated. For a few moments, nothing happened. But then, a soft blue glow began to radiate from Ginny, and it soon spread to Harry. As it spread, the light grew stronger, and the pain from Harry's scar began to lessen, until finally it was gone.  
  
Harry opened his eyes and saw Ginny hovering over him. She still had a faint blue glow around her, and even though she had a worried look on her face that did not suit her, Harry couldn't help but note how beautiful she looked.  
  
"Harry, are you ok?" asked Ginny. "Yeah Gin, but how did you do that?" replied Harry. "To be honest, I don't know. I saw you in pain, and I just reacted. It was like, something inside me was guiding me, and it was telling me how to help you. I just listened. "Well, it certainly worked. The pain from my scar is completely gone. And I don't even feel all that weak anymore." "I woke up to you screaming. Harry what happened?" "I had a dream about Voldemort. Only, it wasn't actually a dream. They're more like visions. I can see exactly what he's doing and saying sometimes. When he's feeling particularly murderous, or he tortures one of his minions, my scar begins to hurt very badly." Harry looked at Ginny to see her reaction. But her face betrayed not emotion. "You think I'm crazy don't you?" asked Harry. Ginny giggled. "What's so funny?" "Harry," said Ginny, still giggling, "Earlier you told me that your soul was bonded to a race of people who lived on this planet millions of years ago."  
  
Harry laughed. It was true; Ginny had found out some of the most outrageous things about him that day.  
  
"But you do believe me, right?" he asked. "Of course I do Harry! You're my friend, and I have no reason not to."  
  
Harry smiled and thanked her. He then looked up at the ceiling that was enchanted like the ceiling in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. He saw the sun was beginning to rise, and the few clouds still left in the sky from the previous night's storm began to fade away.  
  
"C'mon Gin! I'll make you breakfast."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
"No sign of them Albus. We've looked everywhere" said Arthur Weasley. He was very worried about his daughter, and the boy he had come to think of as a son.  
  
"Apparently not Arthur, or else we would have found them. We'll simply have to keep looking. I do not believe that Voldemort has them. If he did, he would be bragging about it to the entire magical world right now. No, they must be somewhere." Albus began to think hard on where the two children might be. He then had an idea.  
  
"Arthur, try sending Hedwig to look for them. If anyone can find Harry and of course Ginny whom I am sure is with him, it is Hedwig."  
  
"Yes sir. If there's nothing else, I'll be off."  
  
"Actually there is. Did you ever get the chance to speak with Charlie?" asked Albus.  
  
"Yes I did. But he sadly declined. He said that four new dragons had just hatched, and that he needed to stay and help raise them. He really did want to come and help sir" said Arthur.  
  
"It's quite alright Arthur. I'm sure I can still find a replacement."  
  
Just then, the fire burning in the fireplace crackled loudly and turned a deep green. Then, none other than Hagrid himself was seen. Of course, it was only his head.  
  
"Good morning Professor Dumbledore sir!"  
  
"Hello Hagrid. We were just talking about you."  
  
"Nothing bad I hope" said Hagrid grinning.  
  
"Of course not Hagrid; we merely were trying to figure out who your replacement should be this year" said Arthur.  
  
"Afraid I can't help you there Professor. Anyway, we got the note you sent with Fawkes and when they came we were ready for them. I wish it could have been avoided sir, but many of the death eaters were killed, none captured alive."  
  
"It's totally understandable Hagrid! Did you manage to get a look at the leader's face?" asked Albus.  
  
"Afraid not sir, but he did have a silver arm. And he stuttered a bit. Come to think of it, he seemed a bit familiar. I just can't seem to place him."  
  
Albus's eyes twinkled as he said "Don't worry Hagrid. I have a feeling we shall see him again. So, am I to understand the Giants have sided with us then?"  
  
"Well, sir, no. You see, I managed to convince them not to join up with the Dark lord. But they refuse to join our side unless they have proof that we can defeat him" said Hagrid.  
  
"How are we to prove that?" asked Arthur.  
  
"They say they want to speak to Harry."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
"Where did you learn to cook like this!" asked Ginny  
  
"After cooking the Dursleys' meals for the ten or so years, I've picked up a few things" said Harry chuckling.  
  
"Well, it certainly is delicious."  
  
Harry had regained his strength after Ginny had done whatever it was she had done to him. He had then seen fit to cook her a huge breakfast in the beautiful kitchen. He had made her scrambled eggs, waffles, bacon, fresh squeezed orange juice, and even served up a side a fruit.  
  
"I'm glad you liked it" he said and then waved his hand and the dishes began to clean themselves.  
  
"Your bond with the Akitians must be getting a lot stronger if you're able to do wandless magic" said Ginny.  
  
"I guess so"  
  
"What's it like? Being bonded with them I mean" Ginny asked.  
  
"It's hard to describe. I mean, one minute, I feel perfectly normal, like there's nothing out of the ordinary. But then I can feel them. It's kind of like I'm standing next to another person, shoulder to shoulder. Only that person is slowly making their way inside me. It's strange, and yet.it feels so right to have them here with me."  
  
"How else are you effected by their presence, other than your new look, which I must say suits you very nicely." Ginny grinned and Harry's cheeks turned an interesting shade of red.  
  
"Well, I can talk to animals. The Akitians are bonded to magic, which in all reality is life itself. And life is of course a part of everything. Therefore, I can talk to both magical and non-magical creatures. But you know what Ginny? I get the feeling all animals are magical in some way. It's strange. Ever since we joined souls, I've been able to see things more clearly than ever before. I've had all these new thoughts and ideas. It's really.wonderful."  
  
Ginny seemed thoughtful for a moment.  
  
"Harry, didn't you say you had gone to your parents' vault before we met up?"  
  
"Oh, I completely forgot!" cried Harry and he hurried over to the door that led to the space where all of his belongings were. He quickly summoned all of the boxes and chests and Ginny helped him put them on the round table in the middle of the room so that they could go through them.  
  
"Aww! How cute!" giggled Ginny. She held up a green baby blanket with broom sticks zooming around on it.  
  
"My baby blanket" said Harry slightly embarrassed.  
  
"And all of your other baby things" Ginny laughed. She had certainly found the most incriminating box. In it were baby clothes, pacifiers, cups, toys, and even a stuffed lion.  
  
Harry laughed as he picked up the lion and looked at it with delight.  
  
Ginny then went to the next chest nearest her. It was smaller than the others had been, and black. She tried to open it but it wouldn't budge. She tried several different charms and still nothing.  
  
"Harry, I can't get this one open" she said.  
  
Harry came over and set the stuffed lion down.  
  
"That must be the chest my mother was talking about in the letter" he replied quietly.  
  
"Did she mention how to get it open?"  
  
"No. But I'm sure we can figure out."  
  
So Harry then tried all of the different charms he knew, and then they tried different words to see if you needed to say a password.  
  
"I just don't get it. We've tried everything and still it doesn't open" said Ginny.  
  
"Maybe there's something on the chest itself you have to touch, like a button or something." Harry then reached out and touched the chest and immediately it glowed brightly and opened.  
  
"It must have been charmed to only open when you touch it. But I wonder why it didn't open when you touched it in Gringotts?" Ginny wondered.  
  
"Charms like that don't work in Gringotts. Another safety precaution" replied Harry as he began to look in the chest. Inside he found his parents' wands, a deed to a large piece of land not all that far from Hogwarts, and lastly a small black, velvet box. In it held what was obviously his Mother's engagement ring. Beautiful wasn't enough to describe the ring. It wasn't the traditional gold, but instead a pure white gold. On the outside of the ring were four small sapphires. Each had its own section of the ring. On in the inside there was an engraving in light silver. It read: Tovis Fhete Falloa Le  
  
"I don't recognize that language" said Ginny absently.  
  
"Maybe it's not a different language. Maybe the letters are scrambled" replied Harry.  
  
"Of course!" cried Ginny.  
  
She quickly took the ring from Harry's hand and stared at it closely. Her brow furrowed in concentration. After a few minutes she laughed excitedly.  
  
"I've got it! I always loved word games. It says 'Love is the fate of all'. How romantic!" said Ginny smiling.  
  
"I guess now I know what my mum meant by choose wisely. She meant her engagement ring." Harry thought a moment and then noticed that there was a light tapping sound coming from above. Looking up, he realized it was coming from the lid. Grabbing his wand, Harry hurried over to the ladder and climbed up to the top. Looking down, he saw Ginny also had her wand and was ready to back him up if needed.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Harry opened the trunk in one swift movement. Looking around, he was surprised to see no one.  
  
*Hello Harry* said Hedwig pleasantly as she sat upon a branch in a tall tree right above the trunk.  
  
"Hedwig! I sure am glad to see you! Hey Ginny! It's ok, it's just Hedwig. And it looks like she's got something for us"  
  
Harry climbed out of trunk and Hedwig landed on his outstretched arm she was carrying an old plastic coke bottle with a note attached.  
  
'Just say: Keonis'  
  
"A port key" said Ginny as she walked up next to Harry.  
  
"They must have sent Hedwig to look for us" said Harry as he went over and shrunk his trunk and placed it in his pocket.  
  
"Ready Gin?"  
  
Dumbledore sat at his desk absently stroking Fawkes when he heard the knock on his door.  
  
"Come in."  
  
The door opened and a stranger walked in. The person was cloaked completely in black, and their face was completely covered, making it impossible to tell if it was a man or a woman.  
  
"Hello sir" said the stranger/  
  
"Ah! I've been expecting you. How was your trip?" asked Dumbledore.  
  
"Long and tiring sir. But definitely worth it."  
  
"I can't tell you how much I appreciate you coming here, and especially on such short notice" said Dumbledore.  
  
"I wouldn't do it for anyone else. Under the circumstances however, I was surprised you asked me."  
  
"It was because of those circumstances that I chose you" said Dumbledore.  
  
The stranger sighed.  
  
"It's been many years. What did he say when you told him?"  
  
"I didn't. The only thing he knows is that I have brought in a replacement for him for the year. But he does not know who, nor will he ask."  
  
"I suppose that's for the best then. I will go and prepare."  
  
"Can you get there without being seen?" asked Dumbledore. "Of course, sir."  
  
************************************************************************  
  
"They're ok, right Dad?" asked Ron.  
  
"Of course, son! We both know Harry is both powerful and resourceful. He'll take care of Ginny just fine" replied Arthur Weasley.  
  
"Actually, Ginny took care of me Mr. Weasley" said Harry as he got his barings.  
  
"It was mutual really" added Ginny.  
  
"You're alright! We were so worried!" squealed Molly Weasley as she ran to hug her daughter, and then Harry.  
  
"What happened?" asked Ron as he hugged his sister tightly.  
  
"It's a long story." Ginny and Harry said together. 


End file.
